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MG MGF Technical - Failed speedo & power steering

six days ago as I was leaving work I noticed that the speedometer/odometer had stopped working. I got the seven miles home, then about halfway back to work the next day before the epas light came on and power steering went off. I was expecting this as I know the epas takes a signal from the speedo to judge assistance - I just expected it to happen sooner then 10 miles.
took the front cable connection (by the wiper linkage)apart and found the end leading to the speedo to be very loose ( I pulled it out by about 20cm before pushing it back in) is this normal?. I read somewhere in the archive that rotating the end of the cable and noting the change on the odometer can test where the fault is. tried doing this but could get no change on the odometer (in order to rotate it i had to pull it a couple of cm out of the sleeve - would this disconnect it from the speedo mechanism anyway? - also should I be rotating clockwise or anticlockwise?)

anyway, fitted the joint back together and took it on a short test drive at 0mph and for 0 miles (according to the instruments) epas light still on.

Next day (monday) on my way back from work the epas light went out - Pwr steering back, and has remained working since - even though the speedo is dead as a doornail.

Does anyone have a sequence of actions to diagnose the problem?
thanks,
James
J LEWIS

James, yes, see http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/group2/DIY/Speedo_cable/index.htm

Good luck :o)
Rob Bell

thanks Rob,
that will come in useful if what I have is a broken cable, question is whether its a broken cable or a broken speedo... if the power steering is working does that mean the cable is working but just not the speedo bit?
James
J LEWIS

It usually means that the cable has snapped, and the commonest cable to break is the short one that enters the gearbox (as shown on the webpage cited)

It's pretty easy to DIY, which is the good news :o)
Rob Bell

why would the power steering work if the cable had snapped?
James
J LEWIS

depends on engine speed. If you were driving with a fairly light throttle opening, the rpm may never have exceeded 3500rpm. The EPAS ECU will switch itself off if it reads sustained engine speeds without a comparable road speed - as it will assume - in your case correctly - that the speedo cable has snapped, and will revert to its fail/safe state.
Rob Bell

Hi Rob,
Spot on! put my foot down and made it cut out again on the way to work this morning. Thanks for that, it solved the puzzle, I was worried that the prob was behind the dash rather than the cable.
james
J LEWIS

This thread was discussed between 22/02/2006 and 24/02/2006

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